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Ten years ago, San Francisco was transformed into Gotham City and in need of a hero. The Make-A-Wish Foundation helped 5-year-old Miles Scott take on the role of “Batkid,” finally realizing his dream of being a superhero after battling lymphoblastic leukemia since he was 18 months old. In this amazing project, Make-A-Wish and the city of San Francisco created a real-life adventure for Scott to complete, including fighting villains, saving civilians, and earning the key to the city from the mayor himself. While Scott retired his Batkid costume, we are happy to hear that he recently turned 15 and is still in remission.
Living in the Northern Californian town of Tulelake, Scott plays baseball for his high school and enjoys living his cancer-free life. Lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common type of childhood cancer, and while survival rates are much higher today than they were in the past, his parents were understandably scared when Scott received his diagnosis at just over 1 year old. Fortunately, he was able to endure treatment to give himself the best possible chance. And while it is impossible to reclaim those precious years of childhood, Make-A-Wish paid Scott a visit to try and bring some magic back to his life. When he shyly said that his dream was to be Batman, the Foundation stepped up to make it happen.
“It's probably one of our most elaborate wishes,” said Jen Wilson, marketing and promotions manager for Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area, in 2013. “It's very unusual. It's one that's taken several months to plan and countless people to make happen, from volunteers who are stepping up to play the roles of the villains to donations of services of all kinds. We've had an incredible amount of interest in helping with this wish.” Not only did thousands of people go to San Francisco to watch the spectacle, but countless people offered to help out and bring the event to life, including The San Francisco Chronicle publishing a special “Gotham City Chronicle” newspaper for the day. Former President Barack Obama dedicated a video message to Scott, and two years later, a 2015 documentary titled Batman Begins covered the incredible story.
“To this day, Miles’ wish resonates in our collective consciousness as proof of the power of one child’s wish to transform an entire community and bring hope and joy that lasts a lifetime,” says Betsy Biern, CEO of Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area. Scott still has his original Batkid costume—it was even donned by his younger brother for Halloween this year. In the meantime, Scott is looking forward to other adventures in his future. “Right now, he's dead set on going to Alaska and being a ‘pack mule' for his cousin's husband's guide business,” says his mom, Natalie Scott. “And he has a lot of interest in welding. So we'll see!”
We hope to hear more good news from Scott in the near future.
10 years ago, the Make-A-Wish Foundation helped 5-year-old Miles Scott realize his dream of being a superhero.
Scott was diagnosed with leukemia at just 18 months.
Make-A-Wish paid him a visit when he was a toddler, and Scott said his dream was to be Batman.
Years after saving Gotham City, Batkid is now 15 and healthy.
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Watch this video to learn more about how Batkid is doing now:
You can find Scott's story and other inspiring stories in My Modern Met's book, For Love:
Alice Yoo & Eugene Kim | $19.95
Make-A-Wish Foundation: Website | Facebook | Instagram
h/t: [NPR]
All images via Make-A-Wish Foundation.
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